Dimension Stones

Prepared By
Submitted to:
Rajan Tiwari Dr. Naresh Kazi Tamrakar
Associate Professor
Roll No.: 07 (386/077) Central Department of Geology, TU
M.Sc. Engineering Geology (3rd Semester)
Central Department of Geology
 Contents
 DIMENSION STONES (Introduction)
 Specification of dimension stones.
 Important tests conducted for selection of dimension
stones:
 composition,
 texture,
 structures,
 physical properties,
 mechanical properties,
 durability.
 Uses of dimension stones
 Introduction

Dimension stone is natural stone or rock that has been selected and

finished to specific sizes or shapes. Dimension stones are naturally
occurring rocks of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary origin
which are sufficiently consolidated to enable them to be cut or
shaped into blocks or slabs for use as walling, paving and roofing
material in the construction of building and other structures.
 Increasing trend in use of dimension
stones

Source https://www.epiroc.com/en-ae/applications/construction/quarrying-and-
surfaceconstruction/dimension-stone-industry
 Specification for dimension stones

S.N Particulars Material Specification

Standard specification for Marble
1 dimension stone ASTM C503
Standard specification for Limestone
2 dimension stone ASTM C568
standard specification for Granite
3 dimension stone ASTM C615
Standard specification for Quartz-
4 Based dimesion stone ASTM C616
Standard specification for Slate
5 dimension stone ASTM C 629
Standard specification for Travertine
6 Dimension stone ASTM 1527
 Parameters in selection of a good
dimension stone
 There are several properties of stones that are controlling their types and
qualities.
 The criteria of selection is based normally on the following general
parameters:

Chemical composition of stone

Strength and hardness

Durability

Resistance to fire

Bio-Deterioration

Appearance

Susceptibility to being quarried in large sizes.

 Normal Requirements for dimension stone

Surface
Color Texture Pattern
Finish
 Chemical composition of stones
 Using/selecting a stone for construction, its chemical
properties and composition must be tested and verified
because different elements and compounds in stones have
different properties.
 For instance, Magnesium in Limestone causes it to be more
stronger and is called Dolomite.
 Feldspar, in large quantities in stone is a source of
weakness because CO2 dissolves Potassium, Sodium, and
even Calcium in the Feldspar leaving pure white clay
behind.
 Presence of Mica, even less than 2-3% makes stone
unsuitable for building purposes. Stones with silicates as
cementing materials are resistant to weathering.
Texture, Minerology and Colour

 Dimension Stone shows a wide variety of texture and

minerology depending on their origin.
 Colour is an important aspect but does not follow agreed
and standard colour scheme.
 Texture:
 Fine grained stones with homogeneous distribution look
attractive and hence they are used for carving.
 Such stones are usually strong and durable.
 Toughness

 Building stones should be tough enough to sustain stresses

developed due to vibrations. The vibrations may be due to the
machinery mounted over them or due to the loads moving over
them.
 The stone aggregates used in the road constructions should be
tough.
 The resistance to impact is called toughness.
 It is determined by impact test.
 Stones with toughness index more than 19 are preferred for
road works.
 Toughness indexes 13 to 19 are considered as medium tough
and stones with toughness index less than 13 are poor stones.
 Structure
 The structure of the stone
may be stratified (layered)
or unstratified.
 Structured stones should be
easily dressed and suitable
for super structure.
 Unstratified stones are hard
and difficult to dress.
 They are preferred for the
foundation works.
 Characteristics of stones
 The following properties of the stones should be looked into before selecting
them for engineering works.
 Appearance:
 Appearance is a primary requirement for all stones.
 The colour and ability to receive polish are important factors.

 Bio-deterioration:
 Certain trees and creepers thrust their roots into the joints of stones and have both
mechanical and chemical effects.
 Special microbes can grow on the surface and in minute fissures, their by-products
cause flaking and discoloration.
 Colour:
 A stone with uniform and attractive colour is durable, if grains are compact.
 Stones with much iron should be discouraged as the formation of iron oxides disfigures
them and brings about disintegration.
 Marble and granite get very good appearance, when polished.
 Characteristics of stones

 Dressing:
 Giving required shape to the stone is called dressing.
 It should be easy to dress so that the cost of dressing is
reduced. However the care should be taken so that, this is not
be at the cost of the required strength and the durability.

 Durability:
 It is the time measure of the ability of dimension stone to
endure and to maintain its essential and distinctive
characteristics of strength, resistance to decay, and
appearance.
 Stones selected should be capable of resisting adverse effects
of natural forces like wind, rain and heat.
 Characteristics of stones

 Hardness:
 It is an important property to be considered when stone is used for flooring and
pavement.
 Coefficient of hardness is to be found by conducting test on standard specimen in
Dory's testing machine.
 For road works coefficient of hardness should be at least 17. For building works
stones with coefficient of hardness less than 14 should not be used.

 Percentage wear:
 It is measured by attrition test.
 It is an important property to be considered in selecting aggregate for road works
and railway ballast. A good stone should not show wear of more than 2%.
 Characteristics of stones

 Porosity and Absorption:

 All stones have pores and hence absorb water. The reaction of
water with material of stone causes disintegration.
 Absorption test is specified as percentage of water absorbed by the
stone when it is immersed under water for 24 hours.
 For a good stone it should be as small as possible and in no case
more than 5.
 In higher altitudes, the freezing of water in pores takes place and it
results into the disintegration of the stone.
 Permissible limits of water absorption for some the commonly used
building stones are as follow.
 Quality Tests conducted on Dimension stones

 To ascertain the required properties of stones,

the following tests can be conducted:
 (i) crushing strength test.
 (ii) water absorption test.
 (iii) abrasion test.
 (iv) impact test.
 (v) acid test.
(i) Crushing Strength Test
 For conducting this test, specimens of size 40 × 40 × 40 mm are prepared
from parent stone. Then the sides are finely dressed and placed in water for
3 days.
 The saturated specimen is provided with a layer of plaster of paris on its
top and bottom surfaces to get even surface so that load applied is
distributed uniformly.
 Uniform load distribution can be obtained satisfactorily by providing a pair
of 5 mm thick playwood instead of using plaster of paris layer also.
 The specimen so placed in the compression testing machine is loaded at the
rate of 14 N/mm2 per minute. The crushing load is noted.
 Then crushing strength is equal to the crushing load divided by the area
over which the load is applied. At least three specimen should be tested and
the average should be taken as crushing strength.
 (ii) Water Absorption Test:
 Just like a sponge, porous rocks have the ability to absorb water and other
liquids. Water-absorbing rocks are formed from minerals that can hold
water in their crystal structure or between grain boundaries.
 Such water absorption is often accompanied by a change in the crystal
dimension that manifests itself as a swelling of the rock. These rocks,
including pumice and sandstone, increase in weight and size as they take in
water.
 For the water absorption test, the specimens are dried in an oven for a
specified time and temperature and then placed in a desiccators to cool.
Immediately upon cooling the specimens are weighed.
 The material is then emerged in water at agreed upon conditions, often 23°C
for 24 hours or until equilibrium. Water absorption is expressed as increase
 in weight percent. Percent Water Absorption = [(Wet
 weight - Dry weight)/ Dry weight] × 100.
 (iii) Abrasion Test
 This test is carried out on stones which are used as aggregates for road
construction.
 The test result indicate the suitability of stones against the grinding action
under traffic.

Fig: Abrasion test

(iv) Impact Test
 The resistance of stones to impact is found by conducting tests in
impacting testing machine.

Fig: Impact Test

 (v) Acid Test

 This test is normally carried out on sand stones to check the presence
of calcium carbonate, which weakens the weather resisting quality.
 In this test, a sample of stone weighing about 50 to 100 gm is taken
and kept in a solution of one per cent hydrochloric acid for seven
days.
 The solution is agitated at intervals.
 A good building stone maintains its sharp edges and keeps its surface
intact.
 If edges are broken and powder is formed on the surface, it indicates
the presence of calcium carbonate. Such stones will have poor
weather resistance.
 (vi) Ultrasonic techniques
 Ultrasonic techniques are increasingly being used in in
various fields such as mining, geotechnical, civil, and
underground engineering, since they are nondestructive
and easy to apply.
 These techniques are usually employed both in site and
laboratory to characterize and determine the dynamic
properties of rocks.
 Velocity ratio index:
 An index called a velocity ratio index (VRI) was
defined from ultrasonic measurements on the stone
block and intact rock specimen.
S.N. Description of Property Test Methods
Absorption and Bulk Specific Gravity of ASTM C97
1 dimension stone
2 Modulus of Rupture of dimension Stone ASTM C99

Flexure Testing of Slate (Modulus of

Rupture, Modulus ASTM C120
3 of Elasticity)
4 Water Absorption of Slate ASTM C121

5 Compressive Strength of dimension stone ASTM C170

6 Weather Resistance of Slate ASTM C217

Abrasion Resistance of stone subjected to ASTM C241
7 foot traffic
8 Flexure Strength of dimension stone ASTM C880
 Classification and Uses

Dimension stone trade applies following broad specifications:

• Natural rock material quarried or extracted for obtaining

blocks and slabs that can shaped and sawn for general
Building Stone
building.

• Natural rock material quarried, sawn and polished for non load
Stone
Cladding
bearing walling material.

• are those that carry only their own weight

Non-load-
bearing walls:.

• Natural rock material quarried for non dressed (rubble) blocks.

Walling Stone
 • Waste or rough fragments of stone, brick, concrete,
Rubble etc.

• Natural rock material quarried, sawn and split

Flagstone
specially for flooring and paving.

• Natural rock material (other than slates) that is thinly

Stone slates bedded and fissile (easily split into slabs).

• Natural Stone cobbles and boulders of varied

lithological composition used in landscaping and
Rockery Stone gardening.
 • Natural rock material quarried, cut, split,
dressed or polished specially for use in
Monumental monuments, gravestones, or memorial tables.
Stone

• Natural rock material quarried, sawn, worked

Decorative
and polished for (architectural) ornamentation
Stone

• Geologists use this term to limestone that is

alter by metamorphism, however the building
trade uses this term to cover any limestone that
Marble is hard enough to produce a polished surface
Varieties of dimensions stones
1) Pink granites

2) Sunny marble blocks

3) Basalt

4) Gabbro

5) Limestone

6) Sahara brown quartzite

7) Exotic stones

8) Blue grey marble

9) Black and gold limestone

10) Dark grey sandstone

11) Slate

12) Conglomerate(serifite)

13) Blue gray marble

14) A brown black limestone breccia

 Building stone

Paving blocks
Monumental stone

Common uses
of Dimension
Stone

Floor stone Facing Stone

Roofing stone
 Dimension Stones for facing purpose

Facing stone are used to protect an embankment or wall of

structures against weathering and for decoration purpose.

Common Facing Stones are: 1) Granite. 2)Sandstone. 3) Marble.

 The essential properties of natural stones that need to be
considered while choosing natural stones for floors are:

Coefficient Rate of Rate of

of friction absorption Grade oxidation

Non-Vitreous Natural Grade- I

Stones Grade- II
Semi-Vitreous Natural Grade- III
Stones
Vitreous Natural
Stones
Impervious Stones
Granite as the flooring stone

•Granite Flooring gives an
atmosphere of wealth, and its
beauty surpasses most other
tile materials.
•It is harder and stains
resistant than any other
flooring material such as
marble.
marble flooring
It is very durable and is
considered to be very
stylish. Marble flooring is
known for its superior and
a royal appearance.
 Rock types used for roofing

 The choice of stone as a

covering and roofing material
depends on the color and
appearance in general, as well
as its durability and
mechanical strength.
 Required Properties
for a good roofing
stone

RESISTANCE TO TILE PATTERNS

SALT ATTACK AND PROFILES

STRENGTH COLOUR

WATER FIRE
ABSORPTION AND RESISTANCE
PERMEABILITY
DURABILITY
Thank You!